Court orders report on charges that Modi lied about wife under oath

A court in Ahmedabad has ordered the city police to submit a report explaining the status of an application against BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on the charge of hiding facts under oath.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate MM Sheikh told the police to submit its report before the court within three weeks on the status of the investigation of the case. The directive was made in response to a plea moved by an Aam Aadmi Party activist.

AAP activist Nishnat Verma had earlier approached the Ranip police station, seeking to file an FIR against Mr Modi for allegedly hiding information about his marital status in his affidavit during the 2012 Gujarat assembly elections.

Mr Verma had also sought action against PK Jadeja, the returning officer of the Maninagar Vidhan Sabha seat for the 2012 assembly election, while naming him in the FIR.

For the first time, Mr Modi revealed in an affidavit filed along with his nomination for Vadodara Lok Sabha seat that he is a married man and his wife’s name is Jashodaben.

During earlier assembly elections, Modi had left the column meant to name his spouse blank. Since the city police did not seem keen to entertain the AAP activist’s application against Mr Modi, he approached the court today.

Mr Verma had also written a letter to Chief electoral Officer of Gujarat Anita Karwal seeking action against Modi.

In the application before the police, charges have been included under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, which stands for giving false statements, false evidence under oath, abetting a false statement or evidence and cheating or dishonestly inducing delivery of property, respectively.

PTI